To the Moon and Back
by Shiori Butterfly
Summary: An enemy from Data's past reveals himself in this post Insurrection story.  Please click for full description and explanation.  Rated T for some adult scenes.  COMPLETE.


This story came into being because TNG has been part of my life for 15 years and it is one of the only fandoms I had never written a fic for. Seeing as how Data is my favorite character, I felt this story needed to be made because I feel his evolution really took a step backwards during Insurrection, and I wanted to show that he did emotionally develop between that film and Nemesis. Continuity is very important to me, so this is not an alternate universe fic.

Despite the fact that this story revolves mainly around an original character, you can even call her a Mary Sue if you must, I feel she was a necessary plot device to move the story along. I hope people can find it in their hearts to accept and perhaps even like my OC, and understand her purpose.

With that said, please read and enjoy.

Author's Note: I do not own anything having to do with the Star Trek franchise. This story takes place a year after Star Trek: Insurrection.

* * *

Earth - October 31, 2007 - 4 a.m. 

On a long stretch of highway in a lonesome and forgotten part of Arizona, a young woman hobbled and stumbled towards salvation. One of her high heels had completely lost its stilleto, and her red silk dress was ripped all the way up to her left thigh. Her long black hair was a tousled mess, and scratches covered her arms and face.

Samantha "Sam" Jacobs had only just turned 26, and so far her twenty-sixth year on Earth wasn't going too well. A botched date at a bar for karaoke night had led her to a trashy motel where she had killed a man.

Not the best start.

To be fair, she had only killed him in self defense. With the cold tiles of the bathroom floor at her back, she struggled and groped for the nearest object to use as a weapon, and had smashed the piece of broken pipe from underneath the sink straight into the man's temple. The adrenaline had given her more strength than she ever knew she possessed, and upon inspection of the unconscious man, she had realized he was dead.

In an attempt to remain calm, Sam stoically promised herself that that would be her last ever blind date.

Now, forty-five minutes and two miles later, she had no better grasp of what she was going to do than she had back at the motel.

In that moment, her dour thoughts were interrupted by a bright flash of light in the sky above her. The sky always seemed to go on forever across the desert, but Sam had never seen anything like the object that streaked silently over her, as if she herself were trapped in the vacuum of space. About 100 feet away from her, the light landed. It didn't crash, nor make any sound at all. It just was.

Assuming that her day couldn't possibly get any worse, Samantha Jacobs approached the object.

The light seemed to be throbbing and shifting, but she could still not see the source of the glow. Soon she was only 20 feet away. Then 10 feet.

Before she knew what was happening, Sam heard a voice from somewhere beyond the light say, "Take her."

Then, nothing.

* * *

Space - Stardate 45832.4 - 0900 

"Captain," Commander William Riker spoke into his communication badge. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we just received a report from Starfleet command. They need a ship with a well-equipped medical team out at Starbase 40 in orbit over Teranius III, and we are the closest in this sector."

"I'll be right there, Number One," came the Captain's gruff voice back over the computer system.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise, 1701-E, placed the book he had been reading gently on the table in his quarters, and stood up. He still felt weary from their last mission, but assumed that his spirits would improve now that the ship had undergone repairs and they were back to business as usual. He hoped this mission would be a simple matter, though, so he could get back to his book.

Captain Picard was not a large man, but as he strode onto the bridge of his ship, an aura of confidence and authority radiated from him. He struck everyone in his crew as the type of man who was meant to be a leader.

"Report," he ordered his first officer. Riker nodded.

"The call came right at 0900 hours and claimed that civilian traders who had stopped at the Starbase for repairs stumbled upon a race called the Wa'aji who are known in underground trading circles as humanoid slave trafficers. Being responsible, law-abiding citizens, the traders reported their findings to the officers on duty and they looked into it."

"And?" Picard asked, impatiently.

"What they discovered made them call Starfleet Command for back-up." Riker paused.

"Bodies," he finally continued. "Hundreds of human bodies."

"All human?" asked Picard, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yes," said Riker. "All human, all seem to be from Earth and not from any of the Earth Colonies, and all dead. Except for one."

"There is a survivor?" Picard's heart lept. He despised death, particularly unnecessary death.

"A young woman, no older than 30. She's alive, but has yet to regain consciousness."

"Then let's get her on board and get her looked at."

With that, Picard strode out to await their newest charge in Sick Bay.

* * *

"This is odd," stated the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer very matter-of-factly.

"Doctor Crusher?" said tiny nurse Ogawa, coming around the corner to stand next to the bio-bed that contained a small young woman, no more than five feet tall, with long black hair. "I just discovered that her cellular structure is breaking down. Whatever she's been through did a number on her DNA at the most basic levels."

"Her DNA?" Dr. Crusher brushed her soft red hair out of her face and looked exasperated. "What in the hell did those butchers do to her?"

"Any news, Doctor?"

Crusher whirled around to see Captain Picard strolling into Sick Bay, looking concerned.

"Yes, actually." Crusher brought up the woman's information on the screen directly above the bio-bed. "I've isolated a viral strain that she must have picked up on the Starbase. The problem is, it's a virus that we're all either used to, or have been immunized for as children. It's as if she's just been born, with no natural immunization to several things I've found infecting her."

Picard looked down at the woman's face. White skin, most likely flawless and porcelain even when not sick and unconscious. Long raven black hair, extremely angular features.

"Who are you?" He whispered to her.

Her eyes fluttered.

Picard hit his comm badge. "Picard to security. Lt. Rayman, I want a team down here. Our guest looks like she's about to wake up and I don't want to take any chances."

"Aye, sir," came the curt voice of their new security chief.

"Captain, is that really necessary?" chided Crusher.

"Beverly," Picard said, he voice softening to the tone he only used with her. "What kind of Captain would I be if I didn't take all possibilities into account?" Crusher said nothing.

The unconscious woman gave a small moan and then opened her unfocused eyes. They were hazel.

"Hello," said Dr. Crusher, smiling down at her. "Do you know where you are? What happened to you?"

The woman felt fuzzy, as if she were sleepwalking. She must have blacked out while trying to get help. She was obviously in a hospital.

"I..." She stammered. "I was walking. Maybe trying to get home. I was scared. Oh, God!"

The young woman began crying just as the security team entered Sick Bay.

"He tried to rape me!" The woman cried. "I killed him! Oh, God, I killed a person!" She dissolved into a mass of sobs and began hyperventilating.

"Nurse Ogawa!" Barked Crusher, "We need to get her sedated!"

"NO!" Came Picard's order. "I need her conscious so we can get to the bottom of this! She is lying here, admitting murder!"

"Captain!" Crusher was about to argue, but the woman suddenly calmed down on her own.

"I get a trial, right?" The stranger asked, innocently. "I can plead self defense, right?"

"Honey," Crusher said softly and sympathetically, "Who tried to hurt you? Who did you kill?"

"This guy named Thomas McGuire. He was as Irish as they come. Bright red hair, blue eyes, and a huge appetite for booze. He got himself drunk, then got me drunk, then tried to rape me. Luckily, I woke up and fought him off." She looked up at the Doctor with those huge hazel eyes, wide as saucers. "I didn't mean to do it."

Crusher brushed a hand through the young woman's hair. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic and motherly. Even though the woman's age checked out at between 25 and 30, she was so small and seemed to have a certain naivete that made her seem younger than her years.

"I know you didn't mean to do it," said the Doctor. "If you're feeling better, you can sit up and we'll get you some new clothes and a room to stay in."

"New clothes? I have to be admitted? I didn't want to stay overnight. I want to go home."

"Admitted?" Picard finally spoke to the woman. "What do you mean? I'm sorry, this is not a normal hospital. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We brought you on board to treat your illness. You're very lucky to be alive."

"Federation? Starship?" The stranger sat up in bed and began twirling a strand of her long hair.

"What's your name, sweetie?" Dr. Crusher asked, kindly.

"Sam. Samantha. Jacobs."

"Where are you from, Sam?"

"Arizona. I was born in Texas, but I've been in Arizona since I was 8."

Picard looked over at Rayman, who was looking just as confused as everyone else.

"How did you get from Earth, all the way out here?" asked the Captain.

"All the way out WHERE?" Sam was beginning to become agitated.

"The Eyrie Sector, Starbase 40."

"The who and the what now?"

Picard was becoming agitated, as well. "What is the last thing you remember, besides walking and being afraid?"

"A light," she said quickly. "There was a light in the sky. It had to have been about 4 in the morning, so it was really weird. I followed it to where it landed, and then nothing." She suddenly frowned, looking glum. "It was the worst birthday ever."

"Your birthday?" Crusher coaxed.

"Yeah. My twenty-sixth. Technically this all happened to me on Halloween, but my actual birthday is October 30, 1981. It just carried over into the early morning hours."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Picard asked, in a hushed tone.

"It was early in the morning."

"Before that."

"My birthday is the thirtieth of October?"

"The year, dear" said Crusher. "What was that year again?"

"Oh, 1981. I know, I get told a lot that I look about 16, when I'm really a decade older than that."

She went on about how she would probably be happy to look young someday, but the Enterprise crew in the room had stopped listening. They just exchanged confused glances with each other.

* * *

Counselor Deanna Troi was just leaving the quarters assigned to their new guest when she ran into Captain Picard and Commander Riker.

"How is she?" asked Will Riker.

"She's not doing very well, actually. But that's to be expected. Finding out not only where she was, but WHEN she was, was a very traumatic experience for her. After Dr. Crusher confirmed her story with a molecular scan, all hell broke loose in the poor girl's mind. She accepted the truth of the situation, but in doing so also had to accept that her family, friends, pets...everything she's ever known is gone."

Picard stiffened. "She's not a child, Counselor. I understand that she has been through a lot, but I need you to help her remember the exact events leading her here. It's not every day a young woman from 21st century Arizona ends up kidnapped by slave trafficers on a Starbase in the 24th century."

Deanna nodded at the Captain. "I'll do my best, sir." With that, she walked off.

Picard and Riker buzzed their guest's door.

"Come in," came the soft reply from inside.

The two officers entered the room to find it illuminated only by candles. Samantha was dressed in a silky silver nightgown, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She was curled up on a sofa beneath a large obervatory window, staring out into space. The pink bottoms of her pale bare feet barely poked out from under her gown.

"I hope the candles are OK," she said, without looking at them. "Counselor Troi said I could do it, because they calm me."

"Of course, it's fine," said the Captain. "This ship has enough security measures that you couldn't possibly start a fire."

"What an amazing ship," Sam whispered, as if to herself. She finally turned around and faced the ship's two leaders. "I dreamed of things like this when I was a kid," she went on. "I dreamed of space travel, distant worlds, aliens races. The idea that we were alone in the Universe was just too sad. I wanted to believe."

"Do you remember what happened to you that night?" Picard asked.

Sam smiled at him. "You don't waste any time, do you?" The Captain looked at her, slightly put-off. Very rarely had anyone spoken to him in such a familiar tone. Beverly, Vash, and sometimes Riker.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't remember yet."

With that, she turned her back on them again and went back to staring out the window.

Picard and his first mate exchanged a look, then walked out.

"I think we just got dismissed," Riker said with a smirk when they reached the hallway. He then nodded politely at his Captain and walked off.

* * *

A week later, Deanna Troi felt like she'd hit a brick wall with her new patient. She had rarely met anyone as stubborn as Sam Jacobs, save for Captain Picard.

"I want to get out of here," Sam said without preamble. "Or are they holding me for murder?"

Deanna shook her head. "They're not going to hold you on an accidental death that happened three hundred years ago."

"That's a relief," said Sam. "Then come on, take me around this ship of yours. I'm all alone, I need to socialize or something."

"You know, maybe you're right," Deanna said with a smile. She stood up and reached out for Sam's hand. "Come on, I know just the place."

* * *

The room was dimly lit, but comfortable. There were at least two dozen tables and chairs, and a long glowing bar in the back of the room. Sam looked around in awe at all the different types of people buzzing about. They were laughing, talking, and generally having a good time. There was even live music! Sam noticed that an officer with very pale skin and dark slicked-back hair was playing a violin quite expertly in front of the huge observation windows that wrapped around the room. He changed pieces so quickly that Sam barely noticed, and his small audience applauded.

"This is our new 10-Forward," Deanna was explaining as she led Sam over to the bar. "Our old ship, the Enterprise D, was more fitted for comfort, so 10-Forward was a bit brighter then. We still carry families, though. Young married couples, where one may be in Starfleet and the other may be a civilian. If they want to stay together, they can do so on this ship. We could definitely hold our own in a battle, but every ship to carry the name Enterprise has mainly been interested in science, diplomacy, and exploration."

"What happened to your other Enterprise?" Sam asked, sitting gingerly down at the bar. Deanna took a seat beside her.

"Well...I crashed it."

Sam burst out into hysterical laughter.

A very wise-looking woman in a very large hat soon came over with a pitcher of something brown, and smiled at the two women. "Was Deanna telling the story of how she crashed the ship again?"

Sam nodded, still chuckling. It was amusing to picture an unassuming person like Deanna taking the helm of a huge Starship, and then crashing it.

The woman in the hat placed a tall glass with ice in front of Sam and poured the brown liquid in. "What's this?"

"Sweet iced tea," said the woman with a smile. Sam immediately felt comfortable with the woman, and noted the friendly gleam in her eyes.

"I'm Guinan," she finally said, after Sam had chugged down her tea. The woman called Guinan poured her another glass.

"Thank you, Guinan. I'm Samantha, but people call me Sam for short."

"Really?" Guinan said, somewhat melodramatically. "Samantha is such a beautiful name, and it fits you. I think I would rather call you that."

Sam was smiling from ear to ear. "Feel free to call me whatever you want. It can't be worse than what some people have called me in the past!"

Suddenly, Sam's face dropped. Any hint of a smile was gone in an instant.

Guinan placed a hand on top of Sam's and said, "Try not to think too much about the past. Think about what lies in store for you in the future."

Sam looked down at her glass. "Actually, I don't know what lies in store for me. Dr. Crusher said my body is messed up from whatever brought me to this time, so who knows what will happen there. I'm also completely alone. Alone in the whole Universe! There's no one else at all like me out there. No one from my own time. No one who knows the things I know."

Sam looked up and saw Guinan looking over at the officer who had been playing the violin. He had stopped and was now chatting with another officer in yellow and black at a small table.

"Let me introduce you to some friends of mine," Guinan said, taking Sam's hand and coming around the bar. They walked over to the two officers sitting down.

"May we join you?" Guinan asked politely.

"Of course," said the dark-skinned officer with huge blue eyes. Eyes that Sam thought didn't look natural, somehow.

"Samantha, these are my good friends Lt. Commander Data, and Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge." They both nodded in greeting. Guinan continued. "I wanted to introduce them to you, Samantha, because they are both very much like you in a lot of ways. You see, Data is an android. A real artificial life form, and one hell of a dancer. He's also the only one of his kind in the known Universe."

"An android," Sam said, her eyes widening. She looked Data up and down and then smiled. "That's so cool!"

Data smiled back. "Thank you," he said, assuming that to be "cool" was a compliment. Geordi would correct him later if he happened to be wrong.

"And Geordi here," Guinan went on, "Was born blind and has the only fully successful ocular implants. Artificial eyes."

"Wow, the future can fix everything!" Samantha exclaimed. Geordi chuckled.

"So, you see, you really aren't as alone as you think," Guinan finished.

"Feel free to look us up any time," Geordi offered. Guinan, however, knew that if there happened to be an available female around with half a brain cell, Geordi would give it a shot.

"I will hold you to that," Sam said. She then looked back at Data. "Do you have a first name? Or is it just Data? Like Cher?"

Data blinked at her. "It is just Data. My creator's name was Dr. Noonien Soong, so I suppose as his creation my surname could be Soong, as well. But I find I have gotten used to just Data. Now, may I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"Who is Cher?"

Guinan could see this would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

"But what do we do with her?" Picard paced his Ready Room.

"Sir? I assume we would just let her stay here. She has no where else to go." Riker felt the answer was simple. The girl certainly wasn't taking up much room.

"I feel, however, that we may be missing out on an opportunity with her. I'm sure Starfleet would enjoy speaking with her. They could find out first hand what it was like to live during her time. There was a war going on then, and much worldwide unrest. The knowledge she has could be historically invaluable."

"Sir, if I may, I think perhaps we should ask her what she wants to do."

Picard stopped pacing and smiled at his first officer. "Of course, Will. I will present several options to her, and see what she would like to do. Her life is a clean slate now. She could go anywhere. In a way, I envy her."

Over the next few weeks, Sam ventured outside of her room more and more. She would go to appointments with Dr. Crusher, sessions with Counselor Troi, and hang out with Geordi down in engineering, though she often felt she was in the way. Geordi, however, didn't seem to mind. Samantha had never cared much for school, but learning about the technology of the future was fascinating. Even if most of it did go over her head.

While she was not always the most academic minded person when she was in school, Sam always thought of herself as a bit of a volatile creative type. She enjoyed acting, and spoke with Dr. Crusher about being in one of her plays. She also enjoyed writing poetry, and painting. Things that she soon discovered she had in common with a very unusual Starfleet officer named Data, and just Data.

Sam felt herself looking more forward to having her dinner in Data's quarters every evening. She would watch him paint, and just chat with him about things. He first invited her when he learned that she enjoyed poetry, because he felt his own writing had improved very much since he was equipped with something he simply called an "emotion chip." Sam didn't feel it was necessary to pry into what his life was like before this chip, so she listened to him recite his poetry to her and would critique it for him.

"Data, it sounds like you're trying too hard," she told him one night, between bites of replicated lasagna.

"Trying too hard?" He looked quizically at her. "I was trying, yes, but I do not think I was trying too hard."

Sam couldn't help but smile at him. "What I mean is, it sounds forced. Just let the emotions roll out of your heart, and onto the paper. Er, computer pad. Whatever."

Data frowned. "I do not know how. I cannot help but analyze the words as I write them. Also, I technically do not have a heart."

Sam stood up from her dinner, feigning exasperation. "Not literally, Data! When you first feel something, don't think about it. Let it be just raw emotion. You overthink things all the time, and it makes your work sound unnatural. You put too much effort into the technical part of it. You perfectly align all your prose, not a beat out of place. That's crap! Let yourself FEEL it!" With that, Sam approach the android and took his right hand, placing it over her own heart.

Data looked dumbfounded for a moment, as the girl he loomed over by at least 9 inches looked up at him. After a moment, Sam let go of his hand and her expression became one of concern. "Did I do something wrong? You look really surprised or something. I was just trying to help."

Data shook his head and a smile came back to his face. "No, you did nothing wrong. I am just not used to people deliberately initiating physical contact with me. Because I was created in the imagine of a human, though not enough to actually pass as human, people are often put off by my appearance."

"Oh, that's dumb," Sam stated matter-of-factly. "I'm usually not a very touchy-feeling person, either. But I feel comfortable with you."

"I am reminded of the time Dr. Crusher taught me how to dance. I felt that she was tense at first. Perhaps uncomfortable with me. But she seemed to become more acclimated to the situation as the lesson progressed."

Sam's eyes lit up as if she had just received news that she'd won 10,000 bars of gold pressed latinum. "You know how to dance? I've always wanted to learn ballroom dancing! Can you teach me?"

"I suppose I can," Data said, already processing and filing different teaching methods. "I will be available two days from now. That is my off day."

"Perfect!" Sam threw her arms around him in a very enthusiastic hug. Data awkwardly patted her on the back and said, "I will book Holodeck 4 for that day."

"What's a Holodeck?"

Data gave her what she could only describe as an impish grin. "You will see."

* * *

"Come in, Beverly," Captain Picard motioned for the doctor to enter his quarters. "You have something to report?"

"I do," she said, taking a seat across from him at his dining table. "It's about our special guest, Samantha."

Picard looked at her, intently. Beverly continued.

"Whatever device the Wa'aji used to bring her to this time period is highly suspect. Obviously, since there are very few known methods of traveling through time that don't involve large temporal anomalies. Her cellular structure is slowly breaking down. She's dying."

Picard's eyes widened. "Can you stop it?"

Beverly leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I don't know. I could always try filling in the gaps in her genetic material using the transporter, but I would need donor material and I have no idea if it would work, or be safe enough to try."

Picard nodded. "Well, keep trying, doctor. Let me know right away if you come up with any other ideas, but for now try to expand on that one. We will only proceed if it's safe, and if it's what she wants. Have you told her yet?"

"Not yet. She's looked so happy lately, I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. She's been spending a lot of time with Data."

Picard's attention had begun to drift to other things, other solutions to the problem at hand, but the doctor's last statement caught his attention. "With Data?" he said. "That seems an odd match."

Beverly's serious expression had softened. "Not if you think about it. They're both alone, in a lot of ways. Just because they're from different centuries, and one is a human and one is an android, doesn't mean they can't find something in common."

Picard smiled. "Of course, you're right. Well, I would suggest you let her know right away. Let her know we will do everything in our power to help, and that she shouldn't despair."

The doctor nodded at him. "Captain, I feel that the best way to get to the bottom of this is to find the Wa'aji who kidnapped her and study the device they used to bring her to this time. I need answers, and I'm afraid to try something without knowing what I'm dealing with. It could mean the difference between life and death."

"I couldn't agree more, Doctor. The problem is the Wa'aji in question fled like a bunch of cowards at the first sign of Starfleet involvement, and we are still working on tracking them down. I assure you, I want them locked up and all their technology confiscated just as much as you do."

Beverly nodded and rose from her seat. "You'll let me know if anything turns up?"

"Of course, right away."

"Thank you, Jean-Luc."

With that, Dr. Crusher turned and walked out of the Captain's quarters, her head tilted down a bit, as if already back to plotting and analyzing the situation.

Picard let out a long sigh and went back to his work.

* * *

"Take my hand," Data ordered. Samantha did as she was instructed. "Now place your other hand on my shoulder."

A slow, sad melody that Sam didn't recognize began to play. The sound came from no where, but surrounded them.

Sam still didn't quite understand how a Holodeck worked, but Data had set up an amazing place for them to dance. She mused that for an android, he certainly had a knack for the romantic.

They stood in the tall, cool grass of a magnificent garden, completely surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see. It was twilight, and they seemed to be the only people that existed in the world. In the trees encircling them hung strands of white Christmas lights. So many that they illuminated the forest several yards back. Data must have been paying more attention to her nightly ramblings than she gave him credit for. He remembered when she said her favorite childhood home had been the one in the middle of the woods, and that she always loved to lay in the hammock at night in a little alcove where she had strung some Christmas lights, and would pretend to be Juliet waiting for her Romeo. Above them the purple sky was spattered with stars, so it seemed as if the dots of white light all around them had no beginning and no end.

Now, Sam waltzed barefoot with her new friend, letting the slow song drift over her. She knew none of it was real, but had immediately kicked off her shoes to feel the grass between her toes. It was a feeling she hadn't even realized she missed. Now, she longed to go back to the days when she was young and carefree, running around in the backyard of her childhood home.

It didn't matter that it was all a hologram, it was real enough for her.

Sam had placed her cheek to Data's shoulder (not on top of it, as she wasn't tall enough) and finally whispered the words she had been too afraid to say out loud, lest they truly become real.

"I'm dying."

Data halted in his waltz so abruptly that Sam nearly tripped over him.

"Dying?" His expression upset Sam. She thought he looked as if she had just slapped him.

"Dr. Crusher told me yesterday. She said the machine those aliens used to bring me here messed up my body on a molecular level. Pieces of me are dying, very slowly. That's how I understood it, anyway. If they can't put me back together, I'll eventually have organ failure and die."

She attempted to smile, as a tear slid down her cheek. "Doesn't sound like the best way to go, but I'm sure it could be worse."

Data just stood there, gawking at her.

"Data, you're starting to freak me out. I don't think I've ever seen you go this long without talking."

"I am experiencing an emotional response that I do not know how to articulate, nor process into the appropriate physical reaction."

Sam now looked concerned for her friend. "Explain it to me in the best way you can."

Data tilted his head slightly to one side before speaking again. "I believe I am angry. But I do not think all my anger is towards the Wa'aji who did this to you. Some of it is. When I think of them, I think that perhaps I would enjoy breaking their necks, even though my ethical program tells me that is wrong."

"Data, it's OK to be angry. It's also not wrong to think about hurting someone who made you feel that way. There is a big difference between thinking something, and actually doing it. Our actions are what define if we're good or bad people."

Data nodded. "Counselor Troi has made similar observations. However, what disturbs me more is the anger I am feeling towards you."

Sam was caught off guard for a moment by her friend's blunt statement, but then said, "I think I understand. We've only known each other for a few weeks..."

"Three weeks, two days, four hours and twenty-seven minutes," Data interrupted.

"...And in that time we became close very quickly. I'm really happy to know that you care about me, because I care about you, too. But it's that caring that makes you feel angry with me because I just told you that I might be going away."

Data seemed to marinate on that point for a moment before answering. "Feelings are not always logical, are they? Now that I have had a moment to 'collect my thoughts', as it were, I realize that you have not chosen this path, just as you did not choose to come here of your own free will. Therefore, I will use my energy to help you in any way I can. It is unfair to blame you for something which I am sure you must feel very bad about, yourself."

Sam smiled at her strange friend, then embraced him as tightly as she could. "Thank you, Data. I believe you just learned empathy."

* * *

Geordi was becoming concerned about his friend. He and Data had been working silently on a conduit together for nearly an hour, and while they often enjoyed companionable silences, they never seemed to go on for this long.

Just as Geordi couldn't take it anymore and opened his mouth to speak, Data said, "Geordi, what is love?"

Geordi was taken aback. "Data, I know you know what love is."

"Yes, generally speaking. But how does one know when they are IN love?"

Geordi scanned the same panel over and over again, not paying any attention as he thought about his friend's question.

Finally, he said, "I suppose when you can't stop thinking about one certain person. When you feel physically attracted to them, but are content to just sit and talk with them for hours. When you can't stand the thought of them with anyone else, and would give your life to protect them. That's love."

A small frown appeared on Data's face as he continued to tinker with the conduit. "What if you are in love with someone, but feel that they may not feel the same way about you?"

Geordi couldn't help the small grin that spread across his face. "That, Data, is called rejection. A very human condition, and one that some of us are all too familiar with."

"What if you are afraid of losing them?"

Geordi looked his friend straight in the eye and said, "Then that's when you better damn well do something about it."

* * *

"We did as you ordered, Fajo. You did not tell us Starfleet would find out."

Kivas Fajo turned to look down upon his Wa'aji pawns. So simple, so trusting.

"Of course they would find out, they are Starfleet. They stick their noses into everything. It's hardly my fault if you were too stupid to realize that."

The Wa'aji leader came threateningly closer to Fajo. "You dare to condescend us? We did exactly as you ordered, put our lives and freedom at risk, and now we demand payment!"

"Fine, fine." Fajo waved his hand and one of his servants brought a case of latinum out to the Wa'aji. "Take your payment and go."

Without another word, they took their money and stormed out.

The servant, a short pudgy balding humanoid, turned to Fajo with a look of disdain. "They are a useless sort, aren't they? Why in the world did you ever do business with them?"

Fajo looked at his servant with a slight grin. "Because, my dear Mando, I was the only person in the Universe they were willing to share their precious time travel technology with. Of course, it helped that I blackmailed them. They have been able to keep their technology a secret from Starfleet for several years now, and it would be a shame if they were found out."

Fajo paused and let out a hearty laugh.

"Little do they know that Starfleet will be hot on their trail, searching for the technology that brought the girl to our time! The wretches deserve to be caught, after letting her live to be taken in by a Federation starship. The Enterprise, no less! Ha!"

Fajo stood up from the expensive sofa on which he had been resting comfortably for several hours. Mando was loyal to his leader, but had remarked on several occasions that someday Fajo's lust for expensive or rare items would one day be his downfall.

"Now, we begin Phase II. The girl must not survive, or my time and money will have been wasted!"

"What exactly is Phase II, sir?" asked Mando.

Ignoring him, Fajo barked into his communicator, "Send Tulrayan in here!"

Seconds later, the door to Fajo's planning room slid open and a very tall muscular humanoid walked in. He was so tall, in fact, he had to duck to get through the doorway.

"Tul...Mando...I have a job for you to do..."

* * *

When Sam walked into Data's quarters for their usual dinner plans, she was stunned by what she saw.

Candles lit the room, and rather than the plain steel table she was used to eating from, Data had put a beautiful red satin tablecloth over it. In the center of the table stood a vase of yellow roses (Her favorite! Was there anything she said that he didn't remember?) and Data himself had changed out of his usual Starfleet uniform and into a soft-looking loose wrap tunic in dark green, and black slacks. Sam was left speechless, as the sight of Data in anything but his usual black and gold uniform made her think she must now be in another dimension.

"Data? What the hell are you...?" But she wasn't able to complete her thought. Data had strode over and cupped her elbow and led her to the table. He pulled out a chair for her and she plopped down.

Sam smiled at her friend, as he sat down opposite her. "If I had known you were doing all this, I would have worn something nicer."

Samantha was wearing a long flowing dress in canary yellow, almost the color of the roses on the table. Back home, she would always wear jeans and had very little use for dresses. Since getting to the future, however, she found she felt more comfortable in the loose-fitting items she found in the replicator database that passed as current fashion.

Data looked at her from over the flowers and said, "In my opinion, you look just fine the way you are."

Samantha smiled at him, still a bit confused but more curious than anything.

"May I ask what the occasion is?"

Data folded his hands together on top of the table and looked down at them. "I have been doing a lot of thinking since our dance lesson. After seeking advice from experienced friends and comrades, I have concluded that the best thing to do would be to tell you how I feel. It also seemed prudent to create a romantic atmosphere in which to do this, so that your response may be more agreeable."

"How you feel about what?" Sam asked, feeling dense even as she said it.

"You," he said. "I have never felt this way about anyone before. Most likely because I could not feel this way, due to not being equipped with emotions until four years ago."

Sam was taken aback. "Data, I don't know what to say. I mean...how DO you feel?"

"I believe that I am experiencing love for you," he said very matter-of-factly. "I have felt similar things over the past four years, but to a much lesser degree. Sometimes even in retrospect about people who have long since passed."

"Wait, hold on," Samantha said, putting up a hand. "You're telling me that you're in love with me, and that I'm the first person you've ever been in love with in your whole life?"

"Precisely."

Samantha stared at Data for a while, her mouth slightly agape.

"Data, I don't know what to say. I'm flattered, but also confused. You've been such a good friend to me...the closest friend I have here. I would hate to ruin that relationship by doing something you may regret later, since this is all so new to you."

Data's expression darkened slightly, but was otherwise unreadable. Samantha rose from her seat and walked over to kneel down beside her friend.

"Besides, have you forgotten what I told you? I'm dying. If Dr. Crusher can't find a cure, I'll be gone. I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic. I would hate to start something with you only to have it end that way. I couldn't stand the thought of causing you that kind of pain."

She placed her hands on both sides of Data's face and made him look up at her. His expression was grave.

"If I may say so...I believe you walking away from my proposal now would cause me just as much pain."

Sam couldn't bear to look him in the eye any longer. She rose to her feet and turned away.

"I think I should go now."

She started for the door but was grabbed from behind and twirled around so quickly she barely had time to think.

Before she even knew what was happening, Data was kissing her and she found she was kissing him back. It was deep and intense, yet cautious. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he effortlessly lifted her off her feet. After what seemed like an eternity, Data put Sam back on the ground and they separated.

"Damn it," Sam said breathlessly, looking up at her companion. "I guess we started something."

Data ran his hands down her sleek dress, over the curves of her small body. "I must admit, these new sensations are very pleasant."

Sam chuckled, "I'll bet."

As they embraced again, Sam slowly let her eyes drift closed and whispered to herself, "To hell with this. I'm gonna live."

* * *

"Captain," came Lt. Rayman, nearly startling Picard out of a reverie he had found himself in. "I am picking up a distress signal from a small trading ship only 60,000 kilometers away. Their engines are completely shot and they need a place to dock for repairs."

"By all means, let's give them a hand. It's certainly not very far out of our way. Set course and proceed at full impulse."

"Aye, sir."

They reached the trading ship in just a few minutes and used their tractor beam to pull it into a free docking bay for repairs.

Lt. Rayman had taken a team down to meet their guests, and Commander LaForge had gone down to personally inspect the damage to the ship.

"Thank you so very much!" Said the small, portly man to the officer who had identified himself as Geordi LaForge.

"Don't mention it," Geordi said with a smile. "Starfleet is always glad to help those in need."

"Speaking of which," said Lt. Rayman. "While Commander LaForge surveys the damage, I would be happy to escort you to the available quarters we have picked out, or perhaps show you to our 10-Forward bar?"

"Oh, having a room to lie down in for a while sounds lovely," said the short man. "My friend here," he motioned to the more statuesque and speechless man at his side, "Can join me in my quarters for now since we have some business to discuss."

Rayman nodded at them and turned to the door. "Follow me."

As he led the way through the ship, he missed the small knowing smile that appeared on Mando's lips.

* * *

Samantha woke up from what felt like the longest and most luxurious sleep of her life and gave a long stretch. She felt sore in places she never knew existed, but otherwise wonderful.

She turned over and noticed the distinct absence of the galaxy's only known sentient android, so she got up and threw on the closest thing she saw, a light blue robe that had been strewn over the back of a nearby chair and happened to fit her perfectly. With a small smile, she noted that Data really did think of everything.

Sam entered the living room and was greeted by a meowing Spot, and a PADD on the table.

I had to leave for my shift. I will be back soon.

Sam placed the PADD back down on the table and asked the computer for the time.

It was four in the morning! She noted that they must have Data work the graveyard shift since he didn't really need to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a chirp at the door. It startled Sam so much that she nearly tripped over Spot trying to answer.

"Uh...who is it?" She called out, not really knowing the protocal for being a strange woman in the second officer's quarters at this hour. Or ever.

There was no answer.

"Hello?" She called out once more. Nothing.

Sam cautiously approached the door until it slid open. An arm snaked around her and held her tight, while the other slapped a hand over her mouth. Kicking and attempting to scream, Samantha was dragged off as if she weighed nothing, by a predator she didn't even get a good look at.

* * *

"Commander," Lt. Rayman said with a slight hint of confusion in his voice, "Docking Bay 4 is preparing for decompression and launch."

Data, being the senior officer on duty, stood up from the Captain's chair.

"Curious. That is where the trading ship we rescued today is currently docked, is it not?"

"It is," said the security chief.

"And no one has authorized them to leave yet?"

"No, sir."

"Hail their ship, please."

In no time, an image appeared on the screen in front of Data that sent a chill through him that he had not felt since fighting the Borg.

The two men, so very different from one another, sat on the bridge of their tiny vessel. In the background was Samantha, bound with handcuffs and ankle shackles, the robe Data had left for her falling off her right shoulder and almost exposing her breast. Her hair was mussed and flying everywhere, and she looked to be unconscious. Data noted that she must have put up one hell of a fight.

Still, while he could process the scene before him, he found he was frozen in place.

"Ah, good morning Mr. Data," said the smaller of the two men. "I'm so glad it's you on duty right now. We could not have asked for a more perfect scenario."

"What...what are you doing?!" Data demanded.

"We are taking what we have so conveniently discovered to be something of yours!" The man said, casually indicating Samantha.

"Our master, Kivas Fajo, has something to settle with you. We're not privy to all the details, of course, but imagine our delight when we came for the girl only to discover her in various states of undress in YOUR quarters! Fajo will be most pleased."

"Kivas Fajo," Data repeated the name back to himself, as if he had just eaten something distasteful.

"If Fajo seeks revenge," Data announced out loud, "It is with me alone. Let the girl go and I will accompany you. I will not put up a fight."

The pudgy alien seemed to think about Data's proposal for a moment before saying, "As much as I think my master would lavish me with praise if I were to bring you to him, that is not what I was ordered to do. Don't worry, he will contact you soon enough."

With that, the screen blanked out.

"Sir, orders?" Lt. Rayman said.

"Let them go."

"Sir?"

"Let them go," Data repeated. "I have already considered 57 possible actions to take against them, but all involve a .99 percent or higher chance of harm coming to the passengers of that ship, and that is not something I can allow."

"Sir, if I may speak frankly, I think you're letting your feelings mask your judgment!"

"Perhaps," Data said, more to himself than to Rayman. "But, right now, that is all I have."

* * *

The man called Tulrayan who rarely spoke, was the one who carried the young woman into Fajo's brig.

"Kivas," he said, with a voice as thunderous as one would imagine. "We have brought the girl."

"You won't believe the news we have!" Said the excitable Mando, practically bouncing up and down.

"What news?" Kivas asked, walking into the cell to survey his prisoner. He ran his index finger down the side of her pale face.

"We found her in the android's quarters, wearing THAT!" Mando motioned to the crumpled robe which had ridden up to expose both of Samantha's legs all the way up to the thigh.

Fajo stood and looked at his servants. "Really? Very interesting." He stepped out of the brig with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What is the next step?" Mando asked.

Fajo was silent for a moment before saying, "I am going to contact my old friend, Mr. Data. I will make him an offer he can't refuse."

He turned to Tulrayan. "Tul, do bring me a communicator down to this brig. I will broadcast my demands from here." The large man nodded and walked off.

* * *

"They couldn't have gone very far," Captain Picard said from the head seat of the long curved table in the Observation Lounge. "Let's do a sensor sweep of this entire sector. It may take several hours..."

"But Captain," Data interrupted. "Samantha may not have several hours!"

Dr. Crusher nodded her agreement. "Sir, if my calculations are correct, Samantha's cellular decomposition will be starting at any moment. Now she's missing and we're no closer to finding the Wa'aji technology that brought her here. She could die a prisoner."

Data was looking down at his lap and muttered, "I knew there was a chance she could die, but I did not want her to die alone. I had planned to stay by her side through everything."

Deanna, who was seated next to Data, put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She had grown accustomed to feeling emotions rolling off of Data, even though it had been strange at first. But in the years since his emotion chip, she had never felt this kind of grief from him. Grief, fear, guilt, anger...they were all present. Deanna was beginning to worry that soon Data's system might not be able to process so many negative feelings at once, and shut itself down.

The senior staff heard the beep of the communication system and the voice of the ensign currently stationed at tactical.

"Captain, there's a transmission coming in. It's addressed to Commander Data."

Data looked up in alarm.

"Put it on screen in here!" Picard demanded, his own emotions beginning to wind tightly inside him. Whatever message had come in for Data couldn't be good news.

The large screen at the front of the briefing room blinked into life, and the senior staff were greeted by someone they had certainly never expected to see or hear from again.

"Fajo," Data breathed, almost inaudibly.

"Good day, dear crew of the Enterprise!" Fajo quipped in an overly cheerful way. "This transmission was intended for Mr. Data's eyes only, but I suppose there's no harm in his friends hearing my plan, as well!"

The camera on Fajo's end began to shake, and they could tell he was lifting his communication device and carrying it to another location. Soon, a cell came into view and Fajo pressed a few buttons to drop the forcefield.

Inside lay a still very unconscious Samantha Jacobs. Her skin shone with sweat, and her complexion was tinged with gray.

Fajo sat down on the bed next to the unconscious girl and began absently running his hand up and down her left leg. He seemed to do so nonchlantly, but Deanna knew it was to get a rise out of Data. She also knew that it was working, because she could feel the waves of fury from the seat next to her.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with your woman, Data," Fajo went on. "She hasn't woken up since we brought her here, and she isn't looking very pretty anymore. Therefore, my offer is this: Turn yourself over to me..."

Fajo was cut off by a small moan that escaped Samantha's lips. He looked down in surprise and saw her eyes flutter open.

Samantha sat up very slowly and carefully, and it seemed to take a moment before she realized the situation. The Enterprise crew watched as she looked down into Fajo's communicator screen and saw them.

"Data!" She said, with as much strength as she could muster, "I heard them say we're in the Kimari cluster..."

Suddenly, a hand shot out and slapped Sam square across the face, knocking her back. Fajo turned the screen back to himself and said, "Looks like she has a bit of spirit left in her, after all. Data, if you want the girl to live, turn yourself over to me with no resistance and no Starfleet interference. They must NEVER try to come for you. Do you understand?"

Data was on his feet before he even realized it. "Fajo, give me your coordinates and I will come. Just please do not harm the girl."

"Data, no!" They heard Samantha cry from off screen. "I'm dying anyway, you don't have to take this crap from him! Just leave me here!"

"Someone silence her!" Fajo barked, and they heard some rustling in the background and then Samantha fell quiet.

Deanna could feel the murderous rage coming from her android friend, and it frightened her. Data was one of the most gentle people she had ever met, but at that moment she knew he would not be able to stop himself from killing Kivas Fajo with his bare hands.

Fajo went on with his diatribe. "My original plan was simply to kill the girl. The reason for that will become clear to you once we meet in private. But then when my men discovered her in your quarters wearing next to nothing, my plans changed slightly. Still, I found I wasn't as surprised by that news as I should have been. Again, the reason for that will become clear at a later time."

The trader had picked up his communicator again and placed it in view of a newly unconscious Samantha. Now one of her breasts was exposed and the robe lay open in the middle where it had come untied in her latest scuffle. Kivas Fajo began running a finger down the crack in the middle of the robe, down the pale skin between her breasts and down to her belly button. The Enterprise crew watched in horror, but were caught off guard by a loud cracking sound in the room with them.

Looking over, the senior staff saw that Data had gripped the sides of the long briefing table so hard that he had actually broken it.

"Do not touch her, Fajo!" Data yelled, a wild look coming over him that disturbed his closest friends. Deanna pulled on his sleeve and tried to whisper for him to calm down, that this is what Fajo wanted, but to no avail.

On the screen, Fajo smiled and pulled his hand away from Samantha. "I am sending my coordinates to your quarters. You are to share them with no one. I will know if you do, and the girl will suffer for it. See you soon!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Fajo blinked off the screen.

"Data? Data, please, are you all right?" Deanna had stood up and was trying to comfort her friend.

After a moment, Data said, "I do not think so."

With that, he turned and walked briskly out of the room.

* * *

"Counselor, what are your feelings regarding Data's mental state?" Picard asked Deanna in his private Ready Room.

"Captain, Data is the kind of person who loves with everything he has. I truly believe he showed signs of that ability even before he had the emotion chip. Now, it's like he's finally the whole person he was always meant to be. I also believe that intimacy with people makes those emotions take control over his senses. You remember how upset he was the time Georgi got kidnapped by Soran and the Klingons. Because Geordi is his best friend, and they have a closeness that Data doesn't share with anyone else. Now, the problem is he has fallen in romantic love with this girl, and become intimate with her, and I think he has lost some of his ability for rational thought."

Picard crossed his arms and sighed. "An android low on rationale. I never would have thought it possible."

Deanna gave a small smile. "Love does strange things to people."

"So how should we proceed? Send Data in there and just hope for the best? I don't think so. Fajo wants revenge on Data for sending him to prison and having all his precious possessions confiscated by Starfleet. At this point, I don't think he wants Data as a collection piece anymore. I think he wants him destroyed."

"Sir, there are many different ways to destroy someone. I don't think Fajo will actually physically harm Data. At least, not at first. He saw Data's reactions in the briefing room just as plainly as we did, so I think it's Samantha who is in the most danger right now."

A beep came over the communication system and a harried-sounding ensign said, "Excuse me, Captain. There seems to be an unauthorized shuttle launch underway in Shuttlebay 3!"

"I'm on my way. Thank you, ensign."

Deanna and Picard exchanged a knowing look.

* * *

"What the hell was he thinking!" Shouted Commander Riker to no one in particular.

"I'm not sure that he WAS thinking, Will." Deanna said with a sigh.

It had been only fifteen minutes since Commander Data's unauthorized exit from the Enterprise, and the senior staff was back in the Observation Lounge trying to piece everything together.

"Samantha said something about the Kimari cluster. That area isn't very big, we could probably track them down within an hour or so," Geordi offered, trying to be helpful.

Dr. Crusher leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "That is if they're still there. As soon as she gave away that piece of information, Fajo may have had them relocate."

Picard leaned forward in his chair and said, "I think for now the best course of action would be to wait for correspondence from Commander Data. Even though his feelings got the best of him in this situation, I don't feel he would go into danger unprepared."

The Captain looked around at his crew and they nodded their agreement.

"Two hours," he said. "We will give him two hours to make contact with us. After that, we're going in after him."

* * *

"He is here, Kivas," said Tulrayan.

"Excellent, excellent!" Fajo clapped his hands together and stood up to go meet his guest.

A Starfleet issue shuttlecraft docked in the large expansive shuttlebay of Fajo's ship that he also used to store items for trade. Without wasting any time, Data emerged from the shuttle.

"Go down to him, Tulrayan. Just be very careful. He's stronger than he looks and very clever. Escort him down to the brig."

Tul gave a curt nod and headed down to meet the android in the shuttlebay.

Fajo headed back down to the brig to wake his prisoner. He entered the cell and repositioned the girl's robe to cover all the appropriate parts before giving her a little shake. "Wake up, my dear. Your android friend has come for you."

Sam's eyes fluttered open. She felt as if her eyelids weighed a ton, and it took her a second to process what she had just heard. Was it true?

"He didn't...come here..." She lazily slurred while trying to wake herself up completely.

"Oh, but he did," Fajo said with a knowing smirk. "I probably would have too, if I had a young little thing like you willing to come to my bed."

Sam glared at the evil little man. "Give me a break, you wouldn't risk your life for anyone. You have no heart."

Before Fajo could come up with a retort, the doors to the brig slid open to reveal Tulrayan, grasping Data by one arm and leading him into the room. Upon seeing that Samantha was conscious, Data shook the large man off and ran over to the cell. He stopped just shy of the forcefield that Fajo had put back into place.

"Samantha, are you all right?" Data asked, the concern apparent in his eyes. Samantha nodded. She wanted nothing more than to be held by her friend, and taken away from the horrible man sitting next to her, but she said nothing. The guilt that Data had come for her was enough to eat her alive.

"Data, how good to see you again! Tul, please restrain him while I exit."

The large humanoid stood behind Data and grasped both of his arms behind his back. Fajo lowered the forcefield and stepped out.

"Now, Mr. Data, if you would please enter the cell."

Without a word, Data did as he was told. As soon as he was inside the cell and the forcefield was back in place, he ran over to Samantha and sat down next to her, pulling her limp body into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around him with as much strength as she could muster and said just loud enough for him to hear, "I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to come. This is all my fault. If I hadn't answered the door..."

Data stoked her tangled hair and said, "Please do not blame yourself. You had no way of knowing about my enemies. It is my fault you are involved in this."

"How disgustingly sweet," Fajo said with contempt, watching the two embrace. "Get it out of your systems quickly, because according to my scanners this girl is going to go into complete organ failure in about an hour."

"FAJO!" Data screamed, shocking Samantha out of the sleep she was about to fall into again. "You said that if I came, you would let her go. I have coordinates set into the autopilot system of my shuttle. Place her into the shuttle and initiate the autopilot, and she will be returned to the Enterprise!"

Fajo gave Data a contemptuous, evil little smile. "I lied."

With that, he left the brig.

* * *

Sam had been asleep for about 15 minutes when she was startled awake by Data squirming around. Her head was still on his lap, but he was fiddling with something.

She sat up and looked at him. Data noticed that she had deep dark circles under her eyes, and was covered in a thin film of sweat, despite the room temperature being set at a place most comfortable for humans.

"What do you have there?" Samantha asked him. It sounded like it took all her strength to get the words out.

"I knew they would take my comm badge when I arrived, so I hid a transmitter inside my own circuitry." With that, Data flipped up the fingernail on the index finger of his right hand, and pulled out a small chip. Sam stared at him in wonder. It was so easy to forget what Data really was, that she was shocked to see the little blinking lights and circuits inside of him.

"Take this," he continued, handing her the chip he had just extracted. "I have already activated the signal that should alert the Enterprise to our whereabouts. It is piggybacking the subspace frequency of this very ship, so Fajo should not notice it for a while. As soon as the Enterprise is in range, they will be able to lock onto that chip and beam you back to the ship."

Samantha stared at the small computer chip in her hand for a moment, then shoved it back at Data. "I don't want it. You take it so they can bring you home."

Data pushed her hand away. "No. You need immediate medical attention and I do not. I will find my way back somehow, but it is more important for you to get to Sick Bay so that Dr. Crusher can treat you."

"Data, for someone so smart you sure are thick!" A small bit of energy seemed to come back to Samantha, because she was so angry with him. "Dr. Crusher can't help me because they never found the alien technology that brought me here! Don't you understand? I'm dead anyway, but you don't have to be!" With that, she shoved the chip back at Data one more time and then turned her back to him.

Data was fighting his conflicting emotions. He knew she had a point, but the thought of not at least TRYING to save her was one he couldn't fathom. But was it for her sake, or to assuage his own guilt? He had never been more confused.

Samantha felt his arms encircle her from behind and she slumped into his chest, all her energy drained.

"You are right, but you cannot change my mind. If I do not try to save your life, I am a failure as a Starfleet officer."

Sam sighed. "This whole time I thought you were sensitive and not the macho type. But it's just like a man to let his pride get in the way of logic."

Data's face lit up. "Really?"

Sam gave a chuckle which turned into a heavy cough. She covered her mouth, but when she pulled back her hand there was blood shining on her palm. She tried to hide it from Data, but to no avail. Upon seeing the blood, he scooped her up and placed her back down on the cot.

"Try to rest," he ordered her. "You have been pushing yourself too hard. I will get you out of here."

Samantha gave a small smile and let her eyes drift closed. A short nap couldn't hurt...

* * *

"Captain, I've discovered a signature subspace trail." Geordi said from one of the science stations at the back of the Bridge. "I think it's from Data."

"Excellent, Commander!" Picard stood up and turned to face his head engineer. "Can you trace it?"

Geordi gave a slight nod and went to work. "The Kimari cluster, just like Sam said. But they're trying to hide behind the gravitational field of a small uninhabited planet. We may have missed them if Data hadn't sent us this clue."

"Set course, Ensign! Warp 9!" Picard ordered the young man at the helm. He lifted his right arm and pointed out toward the viewscreen, "Engage!"

The ship launched into Warp Speed and Picard hoped they would make it in time.

* * *

Kivas Fajo had finally returned to the brig to mock his prey. That's all Data was to him, of course. Just an object of interest, as he had always been.

"I see your girlfriend is asleep again. Such a pity." Fajo paced back and forth in front of the cell.

Inside, Data still held Samantha in his lap. He could feel her body shudder every few minutes and found himself hoping she would not regain consciousness again, so that her passing would be as painless as possible.

Outside the cell, Fajo turned to his hulking servant and ordered, "Take her away."

The forcefield dropped and the giant of a man called Tulrayan stepped inside to remove the girl from Data. As gently as possible, Data moved Samantha off his lap and placed himself between her and the huge humanoid.

"No, Fajo. You have done enough to her. Let her die in peace."

Tulrayan made a move to go past Data, but the android was too fast for him and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his body. Tul let out a yelp, completely caught off guard by the prisoner's strength.

Data found himself with his back towards Fajo, and suddenly heard a disruptor charging up. Spinning around, he saw the weapon pointed directly at him.

"Remember this?" Fajo asked. In his hands was a Varon-T disruptor, a weapon outlawed by the Federation due to the fact that it tore its victims apart from the inside out.

"I remember it very well," Data said softly. He could never forget how he watched Fajo's servant, Varria, die painfully at her master's hands, ripped apart by the disruptor.

Still he did not move.

"Stubborn as ever, I see," Fajo said, lowering the weapon slightly. "Data, shall I tell you why I brought the girl here in the first place?"

Data's eyed widened. "You...?"

"Yes," Fajo interrupted. "It was all part of my plan. Much like the plan I executed all those years ago to get you aboard my ship."

"Why, Fajo?" Data asked, still not removing himself from between Samantha and the Varon-T.

"When I discovered the Wa'aji had developed fairly stable and accurate time travel abilities, I jumped at the chance to take a peek at the future. I'm an ambitious man, as you know, but I am equally vengeful. I decided to go far enough into the future to see what had become of you, so that I could come back and use that information against you. I saw you living happily in San Francisco, a highly decorated ex-Starfleet officer and well-respected Professor at the Academy. I also saw you had taken a wife! I was surprised, of course. In keeping up with the cybernetic literary journals I knew you had obtained emotions, but for someone to marry an android, or for an android to be allowed to marry? Preposterous!" Fajo paused and resumed pacing in front of the cell. Data did not dare move, as Fajo's story was both frightening and fascinating.

"I did my research before coming back to my own time. I found out the woman's name was Amelia McGuire. She was not even a Starfleet officer, but an assistant at the Academy! A paper-pusher! I have no idea what you saw in her, but I could see you were happy. It was that happiness I knew I had to destroy...forever."

Fajo abruptly stopped pacing and turned to look at Data, who was staring at him in shock.

"That girl you seem so willing to throw your life away for is of course a descendant of the woman you were going to marry someday. With her gone, there can never even be an Amelia McGuire! The Wa'aji put a damper on everything, of course, by letting her live long enough for Starfleet to rescue. But that doesn't matter now. One way or another, she'll be dead."

Fajo grinned at Data, apparently pleased with himself. "In a way, it works out even better for me. I can see you in pain now, knowing what you've lost."

Data's eyes narrowed. "Fajo, what you have done breaks every rule of time travel. You have disrupted the space time continuum and not only done damage to my future, but to people who do not even exist yet! Stopping Samantha's family line may cause other important events in history to never occur. She may have had a grandson someday who was supposed to discover the cure for a fatal illness. You have no idea what you might have caused!"

Fajo gave a nonchalant shrug. "Not my problem."

"Fajo!" Came the high, whiny voice of Mando. "The Enterprise has found us! They have sent a message that they will be boarding us to collect our hostages and make arrests!"

"How did they find us?!" Shouted Fajo, turning slightly from Data. In that brief moment of distraction, Data released the large man called Tulrayan and was upon Kivas Fajo. He grabbed Fajo's throat and held him up against the wall, barely allowing enough room for the trader to continue breathing.

"I should crush your windpipe and be done with it," Data said softly so that only Fajo could hear. The man's eyes were bulging, and he had dropped his weapon.

"Android!" Called the gruff voice of Tulrayan. Looking over, Data saw that the humanoid had the Varon-T aimed at Samantha, who was finally beginning to stir again.

Sam sat up slowly, her hair hanging limply in her eyes. "Data?" she called out in confusion.

Just then, Commander Riker, Dr. Crusher and three security officers burst through the door of the brig.

"Drop your weapons!" Yelled the head of the security team. Tulrayan was outnumbered and knew the girl was dying anyway, so he did as he was told.

Riker walked up beside Data and said, "Commander, put him down. That's an order."

Without looking at his commanding officer, Data slowly lowered Fajo to the ground. Once he got his footing, the trader began rubbing his throat and gasping for air. One of the security officers wasted no time, and bound his hands behind his back.

"Take him away," Riker said, with a glare at Fajo.

Data walked back to the cell where Dr. Crusher was crouched down next to Samantha. Somehow, her small frame had become even smaller and her breathing was labored.

"I don't even want to transport her in this condition. She's too unstable," Crusher said, waving her tricorder over the girl.

"Doctor!" Came the voice of Geordi LaForge over her comm badge. "We found the Wa'aji time traveling device in one of Fajo's storage bays! I've checked the logs and Samantha's signature is still in there! We can feed that signature into the transporter to try and save her life, then use the machine to send her home!"

Dr. Crusher closed her tricorder and said slowly and softly to Geordi, "No. We can't."

She stood up and walked away from Samantha, allowing Data to crouch down in her place. It was over, Samantha's body could no longer take the stress and she had gone into cardiac arrest. Crusher put a comforting hand on Data's shoulder and said, "At least she went peacefully in her sleep."

With that, the doctor turned to give Data some privacy, but heard him softly speak just one word to the dead girl.

"Goodbye."

* * *

Data's door chimed. His internal chronometer told him that it was midnight, and he wondered who would be paying him a visit at this late hour.

"Come in."

The door slid open to reveal Guinan. She walked into the room and approached Data quickly, with purpose.

"Hello, Guinan. I am surprised to see you."

The El Aurian smiled at him. "Well, you know how I love surprises. And I have another one for you." She held out her hand to him, revealing a Holodeck data disc.

At Data's questioning look, Guinan elaborated. "When Samantha told me about her illness, I suggested she record a holographic message for the people important to her. She said that she had already said everything she needed to say to all of us...except you."

Data reached up and gingerly took the disc from Guinan, as if it might bite him.

"I am not sure I want to see this," he said, bluntly.

"You may not be ready yet," Guinan told him. "But someday you might be glad she left it. It could answer a lot of questions."

"I am not sure I truly loved her," Data said, surprising Guinan. "After we removed her body from Fajo's ship, I came back here and cried. I felt as if something precious had been taken from me, and I was full of anger and regret. But then I realized I was not just crying for Samantha. Suddenly, memories of others came to me, and I could not separate them from one another. I thought of my father, Lal, Tasha...even Lore. I felt so guilty, sharing my grief over Samantha with so many others, but I could not help myself. That is when I realized I must not have cared for her as much as I thought, or my thoughts would have been only of her."

Guinan gave Data a small, sad smile and sat down opposite him.

"Actually, Data, many things that happen in our lives, especially tragedies, will often remind us of other times we have felt the same way. I tend to believe this happens so that each time, we get a little bit stronger. We mustn't forget, Data. To forget the others you have cared for and lost would be the greatest tragedy."

Data, who had been looking down at his lap, now looked up at Guinan. "But I did not know I cared for the others until recently. I did not know I was grieving for them, because I was not able to before."

"You did. In your own way."

That remark made Data give Guinan a bewildered look. "Curious. My father said something similar to me just before he died."

Guinan reached out and took Data's hand. "Just know that adding Samantha to the list of people you've loved and lost is not doing her a disservice, nor does it mean you didn't care enough for her. I think she would feel honored to be on that list."

With that, Guinan stood up, gave Data a pleasant nod goodbye, and showed herself out.

Data looked down at the disc in his hands for several minutes before standing and making his way to the Holodeck.

* * *

"Computer, begin program Jacobs 1," Data said.

The pleasant female computer voice announced, "Program Jacobs 1 loaded. Enter when ready."

With only another small moment of hesitation, Data entered the Holodeck.

The room was empty, save for the small young woman standing in the center. The yellow grids of the Holodeck shone all around her, but she looked as solid and real as ever.

"Hello, Data," Samantha began without preamble. He noticed that her projection was wearing the same dress she wore on the night of their dance lesson, when she had first told him she was dying.

"If you are seeing this message, it means I have died." Data felt a nervous sensation as he was reminded of Tasha's funeral message.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you so suddenly, especially since we were just getting to really know each other. I want you to know that you were the best friend I've ever had, in any time period. In fact, and it seems silly to be mentioning this now, but I was even starting to think we could be more than friends."

Data noted that she definitely must have recorded this message right after their dance lesson, before their final dinner together.

"Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I want to thank you for being so wonderful, and for showing me that the future is going to be bright. I know you've always aspired to become more human, but please never change from the way you are now, because you are more amazing than any human I've ever met. That's the point of this message...please just be happy being yourself, because in my mind there will never be anyone better than you. I wish you success, love, and a future full of joy. I love you."

The message ended, and the image of Samantha dissolved before Data's eyes.

Guinan was wrong. That hadn't helped at all. The only thing that helped at all was knowing that Fajo was locked up and staying there this time. But he had gotten what he wanted. Data was, most decidedly, not happy.

* * *

EPILOGUE: Three Years Later

Data had just arrived on the Scimitar, pushed the body of Reman leader Shinzon off of his Captain, and placed the emergency transport device on Jean-Luc Picard. As the Captain was transported away, Data once again whispered the word, "Goodbye." It was a word he had grown weary of. But this would be the last time he would ever have to say it.

As he turned to fire his phaser at the thalaron activation matrix of Shinzon's weapon, he reflected that if there were an afterlife, he hoped that androids were allowed to participate. There were many people he wished to see again. Really, the worst part of all this is that Kivas Fajo was getting what he wanted. Data's bright shiny future would never come to pass.

To hell with it.

He fired, causing the weapon and ship to explode.

THE END


End file.
